Singapore publishing house Epigram Books has launched
two new titles at the Singapore Writers Festival: The Space Between the Raindrops by Justin Ker and Ten Things My Father Never Taught Me and
Other Stories, a collection of short stories from one of Singapore’s most
illustrious poets, Cyril Wong. Raelee Chapman reports.
The Space Between the Raindrops is a collection of forty-two pieces of flash
fiction. Justin Ker said he likes the form as it condenses difficult ideas
into something tight and concisely written. He added it is a great form for
writers who have only an hour here or there to write – and he works full time
as a doctor, so he should know! He
gathers ideas for stories on early morning runs, then returns home and jots
them down; he said that not having much time is exactly what you need to distill your ideas. His flash fiction focuses on stolen moments - the
space between the raindrops of his title - and he shared with the crowd his
recollection of one such stolen moment, the seed of the story Open Reduction Internal Fixation. Justin was assisting in surgery to mend the
hipbone of a 100-year-old woman and his colleague asked him to reach out and
touch the bone. Justin asked the crowd: “Have you ever felt a 100-year-old
bone? Bones are a record of all the experiences and weights we have ever borne
throughout life, whether it be carrying a child or a sack of rice.”
Cyril Wong explained the stories in Ten Things My Father Never Taught Me concern
that which may lie beyond a closed door, or a shut window. He read from the
title story, a moving, semi-autobiographical account of the God-awful
relationship he had with his father. The
passage described the teenage protagonist being driven home from catechism
class by his father; the teenager begins singing along to the radio in a loud
falsetto; a boiling point is reached as the father can no longer ignore his
son’s burgeoning homosexuality.
Cyril recently announced he was considering stopping
writing. Thankfully, he seems to have changed his mind. He said he will always write poetry - he
likes to text himself lines throughout the day, as they come to him. He said he
is always writing, always has a blank word document open - even if it stays blank for some time the
cursor sitting there blinking at him prompts him to write. However, he said he
no longer feels the desire to publish, or the need to support a culture that
does not support him.